Separation
by OccasionalAvenger
Summary: Cap feels cut off from the 21st century world and Tony knows how to help. If you want Stony, it's Stony.


**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN JACK SHIT OF THIS. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO MARVEL STUDIOS/COMICS.**

Steve had thought he'd left his days of speeches and public appearances behind when he came out of the ice. That was one of the few positives he'd found in this whole...situation. But The Incident—that was what they were calling the Chitauri invasion now—was followed by a slew of statements and speeches and press conferences that only reinforced what Steve's feeling of separation from this alien world.

People asked him the same questions over and over, and he told them the same things over and over. No, he didn't know if the aliens were coming back. No, he didn't think the government orchestrated the attack. Yes, the 21st century was strange.

It was exhausting. The reporters were far sleazier than he was used to from his war days. Steve would have preferred if they were outright rude, but they weren't. They shot him questions full of thinly veiled sarcasm and contempt. He didn't know why he was such a target (Romanoff said it was his big blue eyes). The only person who took more flak than Steve was Barton, who wouldn't respond to anyone except Romanoff.

And Steve was realizing—uncomfortably—that the press seemed to know more about him that he did. They pulled up his estimated kill count from the war (god—of all the things he _didn't_ want to know), his "alleged" relationship with Agent Margaret Carter, his old jobs, the hysteria that followed his "death".

He mentioned it in passing one day to Stark, the bizarre sensation of separation from his past self. The other man—who was looking more considerably somber these days—looked at him seriously and said, "Well, you've come to the right man for the job."

Steve hadn't remembered asking for help, but it seemed that Stark was more than willing to give it to him. With a glint of his usual enthusiasm, Stark pulled some strings and took Steve after hours to the Smithsonian in DC to see the Captain America exhibit.

Walking by stuffed mammals and fossils, Steve could picture himself as a part of this museum. He'd look nice next to the fossils.

"Here you are." Stark's voice interrupted Steve's thoughts.

He looked up to see that they were standing below a huge banner that said "The First Avenger!" beneath a picture of his shield. The exhibit itself was made up of two rooms, each decorated with what seemed—even to Steve—to be an excess of American flags. He began to walk through it, taking his time and reading every caption under the displays. Stark wandered behind him, quiet for once, though he did make a crack about the old uniform ("People took you seriously in this thing?). It was a weak joke, but Steve knew the other man was only trying to diffuse some of the awkwardness from the situation. But he couldn't bring himself to reply—he was lost in the past.

Every picture stirred some a memory. There wasn't much dedicated to Steve before the serum, but the few contributions made him smile. There was a class photo of him and his peers when they were in the fourth grade—Bucky was a row behind him and a bit to the left. They were both grinning.

Most of the exhibit was dedicated to Steve's transformation after the serum and his role in the war. He looked over it all, though he wasn't keen to re-live his war days. They had been bad enough the first time around.

Finally, he reached the back room. There was one small display in the corner that caught his eye. A picture of a young man with a scruffy, dirtied face, and vacant eyes was etched into a slab of glass beside a short biography. Steve stared into Bucky's face, frozen. He knew exactly when this picture had been taken: after he had marched Bucky and his fellow POW's into camp following their rescue. Bucky had spent much of his time in the hands of the Hydra being tortured and experimented on. Steve knew he'd never forget the haunted look on his friend's face.

"That your guy?" Stark was beside him.

"Yeah," Steve said. His _guy_. His friend. His brother.

"How'd he go out?" Stark asked quietly.

Steve glanced at the caption beside the picture and saw that it only stated that Bucky died in action, not how. He swallowed. "He fell. It was my fault."

"Probably," Stark said easily. "You going to mope about it?"

Steve shot him a quick look, but the other man looked serious. He pressed down the prick of anger he felt at the apathy in the reply. It wasn't fair to expect Stark to feel sorrow over the old death of a man he'd never known. He said nothing, just stared at his old friend's face, feeling more alone than he'd ever felt in his life.

"It's tempting to try living in the past," Stark said suddenly, unexpectedly. "It's safe. Familiar. But it's also where fossils come from." He caught Steve's eye and looked at him with utter seriousness and something else. Understanding?

Steve nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. Stark clapped him on the shoulder.

"C'mon, Old Man Jenkins. I promise there's better stuff in the 21st century than this. Have you tried mumbo sauce yet? A DC staple. Great on chicken wings." He turned and started to leave. Steve took one last look at the picture of Bucky and followed him out.

DC was quiet and muggy at night, the government workers had gone home and the tourists had turned in for the evening. It so unlike New York City, which always seemed to come alive at night. Still, it wasn't bad. It was beautiful, actually, Steve thought, looking at the Parisian-style buildings around him. Stark was already half way down the block, briskly walking towards the street corner where they'd left his sleek, red Bentley. Steve followed him after a moment, smiling at the urgency with which the other man was walking.

"It's only a car," he panted upon catching up to Stark.

Stark didn't break stride. "It's lonely."

Steve shook his head, laughing. The wave of isolation he'd felt earlier had receded. It was possible, he thought, trotting to keep up with Tony's pace, that he wasn't completely alone anymore.

* * *

I know it was actually Cap that said that line about fossils in the comics (Man Out of Time, good read), but I'm unoriginal so I stole it. Please don't sue me. Hope you liked. Reviews are appreciated.


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